DHS Seeks Armed Guards to Protect Government Buildings in Arkansas

Even as it spends $80 million dollars on hiring a raft of armed guards to prepare for “civil disturbances” in New York, the Department of Homeland Security is also seeking to acquire 723,000 hours of armed guard services to protect government buildings in Arkansas.

A solicitation posted this week on the Federal Business Opportunities website states that the DHS is looking for Protective Security Officer (PSO) services in the state of Arkansas and that, “The armed PSOs will protect federal personnel and property at federally owned and leased buildings.”

The initial contract period will run for one year, with an option to extend each year for a total of five years. The estimated number of hours the guards will perform security over that period runs to almost 723,000 hours.
On Monday we also revealed that the DHS was set to spent $80 million dollars on hiring armed guards in New York to be used during “public demonstration(s),” as well as “civil disturbances, or other unanticipated events on an as-needed basis.”

Is the federal government’s hiring of all these armed guards merely a routine procedure, or are they preparing for some form of civil unrest?